Kiwister and Eboneezer

Well the gang was very happy today as they got fresh hay! YAY! They love their hay. They even got along with one another and shared. Aww.

Ebony loves to race around in the snow. Thats the best part! Kiwi and Ebony have been doing really well. They get along fine with the horses and they are thriving on living outside in the fields for the winter rather than in the barn. They love the space to roam around. Kiwi was very ill just after christmas with pneumonia, but we caught it early enough that he has made a full recovery. I just dewormed Kiwi and Ebony yesterday and since their deworming medication requires a needle they are not too happy with me right now....

They are getting along great with Pepsi and she has accepted them too. They love to hang out with the "new" herd members when they arrive. Such curious creatures.

Ebony loves to search for any scraps of grass or other plant goodies that might be buried under the snow.....she is going to have to wait a few more months before she is able to get much of anything out there!

Kiwi and Ebony staying warm and out of the snow and wind in their personal llama lounge.

Bashful Boys

The boys were all hyper and wound up with the arrival of 'the new girl'. They were running around and play fighting with each other a lot. Male horses spend a lot of their time engaging in mock fights like the one above. These two fellas are geldings and very playful ones at that. Ace is an extremely active horse and he will need a job when he gets older, he likes to MOVE!

Ace and Jazz were racing aorund the field bucking and rearing. It was an awesome sight to see. Here Ace is jumping around and Jazz is making sure he is well out of the way of Ace's feet!

Jazz has gorgeous movement and looks stunning when he canters around the field. He really a lovely "black stallion" :)

Jazzy full speed ahead!

Ace and Jazz play a horse version of tag....Ace chases Jazz and then Jazz chases Ace. Silly boys.

Jazz has been growing like a weed and he grew right out of his halter! So here he is modeling his brand new red halter. He should fit this one for a long long time....its a full horse size. Its a little big around his nose right now, but it works and as soon as the spring comes and the grass gets here, he will grow even more!

Pepsi Arrives!

Pepsi has arrived! She has settled in very very well, despite the current winter storm. She has made fast friends with our Jr. Stallion Jazz. I have never seen a horse adjust to and fit in an established herd so fast!

Pepsi and Jazz are enjoying a mutual grooming session. Jazz himself is a little introverted and he has not bonded to anyone other than Ace, so its nice to see these two geting along so well.

Aww sharing the salt lick!

Pepsi has lovely movement and she is a stunning girl. She will look beautiful in the summer when she has a sleek coat....all of the horses will look nice in the summer :)

She has some of the same bloodlines as Jazz and they are both foundation bred Quarter horses with babydoll heads. Some day these two will have beautiful babies.

Ace is still the tallest of the youngsters and surprisingsly he is actually the youngest horse we have right now. He is 5 weeks younger than Pepsi and 4 weeks younger than Jazz.

The herd converges to meet the newcomer. Cricket and Pepsi get along well too, but Cricket gets along well with everyone.

Oh Winter.

Buck is modeling his brand new winter blanket. He was getting too chilly in all this cold weather we have been having. Poor fella. He feels better now though, and looks so handsome too in his raspberry coloured blanket.

Buck and Phoenix were hanging out today together for a while. They followed each other around a bit and then hung out near the trees. These two are the most dominant ones in the field....so maybe they were making plans!

Until they got into a fuss about something. Not too sure what they are doing....Phoenix is smelling Buck and then she freaked out .....see below.

I think she squealed at him because she is letting him know that she is pregnant.....except SHE started it and he is a gelding.....HORSES!!

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Not too much else going on. Pepsi should be arriving this weekend, dependant upon the weather...its supposed to be very very cold. I am just waiting for spring to arrive and winter to end. The horses are getting a little bored....especially the youngsters. There is not too much to do other than walk to the hay feeders...then to the water....then to the shelter....and all over again. I think the little boys will have fun when Pepsi arrives as then they will have another youngster to hang out with. The bigs guys might not find her arrival to be as enjoyable. We'll have to see :)

Injured Foot Update

Well with the storm that we have been having and all the cold and snow blowing outside, Misty is nice and comfy in the barn. She gets to stay warm and dry while everyone else is out in the snow.

Her foot is healing well, I am very happy with the progress. She should be fine to go back outside by the weekend. She is being such a good girl about having her wound cleaned and treated with antibiotic ointments. Its sore, but she lets me get it done.

Her stall has 3 big windows the are open directly to the outside. She can look out and see her pasture mates when they are at the bottom of the field. She also gets lots of fresh air, which is very very important. Horses do not do well when they are too sealed up in a barn. When I go into the barn in the morning Misty starts calling out to me.....I think she wants to make sure I don't forget to bring her grain!

Pepsi

This lovely palomino is Pepsi. She is the newest resident of Acres of Grace. She is a wonderful young mare who will be 2 in May. She is very sweet and friendly.

Eventually when she is older she will bre bred to Jazz for some gorgeous foals, but for now she will be trained to saddle and be a lovely trail riding companion and show horse. She will be arriving hopefully on the weekend.

In the summer she is a gorgeous golden colour with a very curly white mane :)

I bought Pepsi from a good friend of mine. I know this young horse has been expertly cared for and has been treated properly and is well bred. We are very excited and anxiously awaiting her arrival!

Stall Rest For Misty

Well my dear Misty is on stall rest :( When we went out to the horse fields today there was blood all over the snow...Misty cut the bulb of her heel almost off. It was bleeding a lot. So after I cleaned it an applied antibiotic ointment it started bleeding again because the snow irritates it. So she is now tucked in nice and cozy in the stall. She has straw bedding.....lots of yummy hay that she does not have to share.....out of the wind.....a personal water bucket...and the warmth of the barn....She is never going to want to leave! I will keep my eye on her, but i think with the stall and the cream she will be fine in a week.

The Pregnant Ones, an update.

Just thought I would update you on the pregnant mares. Misty, above, is about 5 months along now and you can see her baby belly beginning to grow. She is due the last week in July 2009. She was bred to the handsome paint stallion pictured below. The paint is homozygous, so Misty should have a paint coloured baby. I can't wait!

This is Tex the stallion. As I have mentioned before he is Ace's sire. He is also the sire of Phoenix's foal (pictured below).

Phoenix is getting very large. Excuse the picture, lol, but it really shows how big and wide her belly is getting. She is due in the first week of May. Not too long now. I am super excited about Pheeny's baby. Her foal will also be a paint, and my future trail horse!

Another view of Pheeny's growing belly. She is starting to waddle as she moves and does not really have the energy to race around the fields too much right now. She is on maternity leave, and I no longer ride her, she just gets to relax and grow her baby!

Another shot of the mom-to-be. Just getting some sun. In other news, the calfs are doing well but remain nameless at this point. My uncle needs to pick some fun names for our bovine friends!

Cute Calves!

Well Happy New Year! Here out at Acres Of Grace there a 2 new arrivals! Have a look at these little cuties!

We have 4 and 8 week old calves at the farm now! They are so adorable and so soft! The 4 week old is still drinking milk, which he is fed 2x per day. He loves his milk!

I love cows! They are one of my favorite animals, so I love to take pictures and spend time with these fellas.

Here he is trying to nurse on my finger. He is precious.

Hand feeding grain. I have to say cows are really messy eaters....he slobbered all kinds of goop all over my hands!

It is cold out and I am tired of the winter! Hurry up spring! Everyone out here is doing well now. My poor llama Kiwi was ill with pneumonia over the christmas holidays, but we caught it early and he is doing exceptionally well and will make a full recovery. It was a little scary, and man do llamas resent you pouring medication down their throats! Happy to say he is doing well, and not longer hates me for giving him medication :)
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Pretty slow here right now, with the snow and the cold no one has any energy to do much. The horses pretty much spend their time eating hay. Only Kiwi and Ebony seem to enjoy this weather. Phoenix is 2/3 of her way through her pregnancy and is definitely looking big now. We are all very excited for the arrival of her baby at the beginning of May :)